Parasite
by Kristen of the Opera
Summary: By trapping the infamous Freddy Krueger in her mind, Claire Douglas can now rest at ease, knowing everyone else is safe from him. Until she realizes having a perverted serial killer living in her brain makes life unbearable.
1. Physical vs Mental Torture

**Parasite**

**Chapter One:**

**Physical vs. Mental Torture**

**Summary: By trapping the infamous Freddy Krueger in her mind, Claire Douglas can now rest at ease, knowing everyone else is safe from him. Until she realizes having a perverted serial killer living in her brain makes life unbearable.**

**Disclaimer: This is my first fanfiction and I don't own a single character from the Nightmare series. No profit is being made from this.**

_A parasite lives in a close relationship with another organism, its host, and causes it harm._

I've done it. I've trapped him in my own imagination. In here, Freddy Krueger can't harm anyone. If he dares to take a slash at me, he, too, will die. I'm sure he's pissed off in there, calling me every name in the book. It doesn't matter. Since he's stuck in there, not one other person will ever dream of him again. He doesn't have anymore power to help himself get out. I feel relieved.

I had first heard of Freddy when my little sister, Cassie, crawled into bed with me one night saying she had a scary dream about a man with claws. At first, I had dismissed this, thinking she had watched a scary movie or something because she was in that eighth grade rebel stage. Until I started having dreams of my own and waking up with the same painful scratches I had recieved in the dream. Hours and hours of research were put in, and as a result, I almost failed history class. Finally, I found a website practically worshipping Krueger that helped me even though it hadn't been updated in a while. The people who ran the site were all mysteriously killed in their sleep.

After even more research, I found a way to control the bastard and trapped him before he could do too much harm. My sister and I took turns sleeping and waking each other up. One night, she had to go to the emergency room because he managed to tear up her shoulder before I could shake her awake. Scariest night of my life. Still, she no longer had to worry about him, and felt relieved after her first full night of sleep.

I still have dreams about him. In fact, it is not unheard of for me to go to sleep with an arsenal of weapons. My old softball bat is my weapon of choice if he tries to get close. While he knows killing me would also cause his demise, he has found other ways to get to me. When I'm not asleep to check up on him, he is free to probe around in my mind and memories, taunting me mentally. I always wish he wasn't so good at that. Somehow, though, I manage to carry on through life as if there's not a freaky child killer living in my head.

_In many cases, it is difficult to demonstrate the host is harmed._

--

Relieved the school week is over, I swing my backpack over my shoulder and plop myself onto the couch. However, before I am able to turn on the TV, my phone ring. I'm not even able to get two seconds of peace. Literally. Krueger is still shouting at me in my head almost 24/7, and school isn't helping with the stress. I swear I saw a clump of hair fall out in the shower this morning and I've gained a bit of weight around my hips. My jeans feel tight.

"Hello?" I pick up the phone without looking at the caller I.D.

"Amazing news, Claire." I hear my friend, Hayley on the other line. She sounds more excited than when she found out Brian Nester liked her. Well. . . maybe not that excited. "Party at Coop's house! His parents are out of town for the weekend an he invited Brian over. Brian invited me, and I am inviting you." This chain reaction worries me, and I wonder if anyone else is doing the same thing. If so, just _how_ many people will be there?

Cooper Donovan is amazing. First of all, we have the same initals and it must mean something. Furthermore, he plays softball (my favorite sport) and (according to Hayley) really, really likes me. He has this soft black hair and amazing blue eyes that I could stare at for hours. I'm also jealous because I just have big brown eyes and any guy who ever tried to write me a poem could never use a good metaphor. Unless it involved Dove chocolate. . . my favorite.

"My Dad wouldn't let me go in a million years." My smile fades. Hayley has a Plan B.

"Tell him you're sleeping over at my place! My mom and dad are going to a fancy dinner. They'll never know!" Good old Hayley always has a Plan B up her sleeve, and I'm grateful for her.

"Alright, alright. I'll call him." I hang up on Hayley, who informs me that she will pick me up.

When I call, he is reluctant, as Cassie is already at a friend's house and he complains that we never spend time together anymore. I tell him I'll be home early tomorrow and we'll do something together. Besides, seventeen year olds aren't exactly known for their amazing relationships with their parents. When he finally agrees, I do a little victory dance on the other side of the phone. This is one night Krueger can't ruin for me. I won't let him.

_Parasites evolve in response to defense mechanisms of their hosts. Host defenses also evolve in response to attacks by parasites._

--

After we arrive, Brian sees us and immediately walks over to give Hayley a sloppy kiss on the cheek. Cooper is with him, and I can feel the butterflies in my stomach. I hope he doesn't notice the bags under my eyes and how messy my wheat-colored hair looks. There was no time for anything fancy, so I simply pulled it back and smoothed the fly-aways. Luckily, he doesn't notice, and we go outside to drink and talk about how much we hate Mrs. Peters for giving us that stupid geometry project. Before I know it, about an hour has passed by and I realize Krueger has been oddly silent tonight. Somehow, I can tell this isn't a good sign.

Suddenly, Cooper gently links his arm in mine and asks if I would like to go upstairs with him. Every teenager in the universe knows what "going upstairs" leads to, but I follow him anyway. Now, he starts shouting in my head while I try to block out the thoughts.

_"Don't forget to use protection." _He says. I tell him to shut up and do my best to ignore him, but he's free to lurk around in my head and see whatever naughty thoughts I do my best to conceal. _"Oh, Coop, take me now!" _He shouts.Now I tell him to shove it.

I've already taken my shirt off and I feel self-conscious because I'm still in my sports bra, but Coop doesn't care. Still, Freddy is becoming harder and harder to ignore. The farther we get, the worse his taunting. The more I try to ignore him, the louder his voice seems to get.

I unbutton my jeans. _"Oh, you little slut." _

_Hosts have fewer chances to adapt than their parasites do over a given span of time._

Our bodies become a tangled mess on the bed as we have an awkward first-time makeout session. Soon, I feel the pressure between my legs building up. _"Careful not to bleed all over the bed." _At the moment, I am too engrossed in Coop, but he knows what makes me tick. Coop is now unzipping his pants.

_"He'll tear you apart. Did you know most virgins don't cum their first time?" _Without warning, I am suddenly shouting and crying. "Stop it!" I scream at him.

"What's wrong, Claire? Did I do something?" Poor Coop is alarmed at my sudden change of heart and tries to calm me down.

I shake my head so much, my ponytail is blinding me. "Damn it, where's my shirt? Fuck!" Because I am so careless, I put the shirt on inside-out

_"Such a naughty word, Claire. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" _I hear him laughing in the background and I resist the urge to cuss him out. Coop still thinks I am furious at him, and explaining the situation would be useless. He would never believe me, anyway. Tears flow as I hurriedly try to button my jeans again and pull up the zipper. My shoes are on in record time. "I'm sorry, Coop. It's not you, I swear to God it's not you."

"Claire, what's wrong?" Now he's shouting out of concern while I stomp downstairs to find Hayley. "What's the matter?"

_"Aw, are you just gonna walk away and leave him unsatisfied like that? What's that matter, afraid of losing your innocence?"_

When I find her in the crowd, I waste no time. I immediately tell her it's time to go and practically drag her out of the house and to her car. She reluctantly agrees because I am crying and she's desperate to comfort me. Meanwhile, I'm still getting inappropriate and disgusting comments in my head. Coop is standing at the door of his house, wondering what he did to make me so angry. I would do anything to explain to him that it's not his fault. For fear of Hayley dropping me off at a hospital, I resist shouting back at Krueger. As soon as I am asleep, he is going to get it.

"Claire, what the hell happened?" Hayley says, trying to keep her eyes on the road. "Claire, did Coop try to rape you? If he did, you have to tell the police!"

I'm still crying profusely, still trying to ignore him. "No, it wasn't Coop. I'm fine Hayley, let's just go to your house and watch a movie." I know I'm doing a shitty job of convincing Hayley I'm okay, but she gets the hint that I don't want to talk. Instead, she goes through a drive-thru and orders a couple milkshakes. She always knew what to do. I slurp down half the milshake in just a few gulps and deliberately give myself a brain-freeze. Now I'm too focused on the pain to listen to Krueger.

Hayley keeps trying to help me as she pulls into the parking lot for her apartment and drags me up the stairs. Instead of interrogating me, she is now comforting me, patting me on the back and telling me everything would be alright, just like a mom. She lets me crash on the couch and throws a blanket over me while she turns on the TV. I finally fall asleep to "Family Matters".

As soon as my body enters REM sleep, I am in the boiler room, and he's sharpening his claws like nothing has happened. If only I had my softball bat with me. Unfortunately, I am at Hayley's house. "Someone looks angry." he teases.

"You bastard. You know exactly why." I narrow my eyes and he laughs at me. "Next time I bring my bat with me in my sleep, you're gonna get it, Krueger."

He turns toward me, flexing his claws. "I'm shaking in my boots." he growls.I try to hide my fear as he walks closer. After all, he can't harm me. Any scratch he gives me will also cause him pain so I have no reason to fear him. Still, when the claws are right next to my face, I can't help but tremble slightly. "You know, you're the one who willingly trapped me in here forever. Isn't that right?" Now his face is closer and I wince when I feel his breath on my face. "I'm just trying to pass the time while I figure a way out."

I smirk at him. "There is no way out. That was that whole point."

The anger becomes so visible in his face that I think he just might be stupid enough to scratch me. Instead, he pushes me violently to the side to slash at inanimate objects like pipes. Water comes spilling into the boiler room. I just watch and hold my now bruised shoulder as he hacks away at the pipes, cursing and screaming at me. I feel like it is payback for what he has done to me tonight.

_The term parasite is often applied to a person who takes advantage of other people and fails to offer anything in return._

"Look, bitch, I'm going to find a way out of here. Do you know how many times I've died and come back?" He walks towards me again, grabbing me by the collar and slamming me up against the wall. I even see him flinch a bit, but smirk, knowing he has at least caused a little damage. I fidget and squirm, trying to free myself. Even trapped here, my dreams can still be controlled by him and chains come up from the ground to hold my feet still. They come out from the wall to ensnare my wrists. "You think you're so smart. I should rip you apart. We could go to hell together. Except that I'll find a way back, and you won't!"

Before he manages to slice me to bits, I feel someone shaking my shoulders, yelling in my ear. God bless you, Hayley. My eyes pop open and I find that I have kicked my blanket off while I was trying to escape his grip. No doubt I was screaming at Freddy, as well. Hayley is standing over me, her hands still gripping my shoulders. When I look toward the clock on her wall, I see it is five thirty in the morning. "Jesus, Claire, you scared me! You were thrashing around so much, I thought you were having a freaking heart attack! You even kicked my shoulder. Please, tell me what's wrong!"

I just hug her, still grateful for waking my up in the nick of time. "Nothing. I'm fine, now, Hayley." She furrows her eyebrows, but believes me, since I an genuinely sincere with my answer this time.

"Well, I don't think you should go back to sleep. I'll make some hot pockets." First, she checks her parents room to see if I woke them up, but I hear them snoring. She then goes to her fridge. "That was some nightmare you were having."

_"Yes, it was." _I hear Freddy again, but I won't let him get to me anymore. Next time, I'll make sure to have my bat and a butcher knife next to me in bed.

_A parasite contributes nothing to the survival of its host._

**Hope you enjoyed. We're not done just yet. ;)**


	2. What's Worse Than Death?

**Parasite**

**Chapter Two:  
What's Worse Than Death?**

_Psychological trauma-- an emotional or psychological injury usually resulting from an extremely stressful or life-threatening situation._

I'm still extremely tired when Hayley is driving me home, but I don't dare to take a nap. Not just yet. By looking at the sky, it allows me to wake up just enough to get through the day. Still, Hayley's concern for me is practically driving me over the edge, and I don't want to take the risk of telling anyone but Cassie about Krueger. She noticed the marks on my neck and the huge blue spot on my shoulder when I was putting new clothes on. Again, I lie, telling her I had probably done that to myself while I was thrashing around. I can tell Hayley doesn't buy it, and I know full well she's not stupid enough to ever fall for it. It kind of makes me feel bad for lying, but I keep telling myself that it's for her own good.

_"That's right. Don't let Freddy get to her." _Does he really have to talk about himself in third person like that?

When we get to my house, I thank Hayley for taking care of me and make my way back inside. "Hey, Claire!" she calls after me. I turn back toward her. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"_Yes, Claire. You can tell her anything." _Ignoring the voice in my head, I answer Hayley. "Yes, Hayley. I'll be okay, got it? In fact, we can go for pizza at the mall tomorrow."

"Well, alright. Call me if anything's bothering you." With that, she drives off.

_Traumatic experiences often involve a threat to life or safety, but any situation that leaves a person feeling frightened and alone can be traumatic, even if it doesn't involve physical harm._

Dad is sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper, and Cassie is at the counter eating a bowl of lucky charms. Right away, Dad notices the marks on my neck. "Claire, what the hell happened to you?" He gets up to examine the marks. Luckily, my shirt is covering the monster bruise on my shoulder. I simply tell him I was having a nightmare and Hayley was trying to wake me up, hoping he'll presume she had accidentally created those marks. "Tell Hayley to be more careful. They look horrible."

Cassie looks up from her lucky charms to examine the marks herself. 'What happened?' she mouths, knowing exactly what is up. She is the only one who knows about Krueger and will probably ask me to spill the beans later. Not now. Not in front of Dad, who is now informing us that we're going out to lunch today. When I look at the clock, I notice it's already eleven and figure it will be a late lunch. I go upstairs to wash my face and decide I can get away with not taking a shower for one more day to avoid lude comments from a certain someone in my head. Instead, I lean over the tub and wash just my hair.

Since I now go two or three days without bathing, I douse myself with body spray and put on pounds of deodorant, hoping it will hide the smell. I have also been wearing long sleeves, which usually does the trick. Maybe I can avoid showering all together by running away and becoming a hippie. Then I'd just be running away. I have to get rid of Krueger altogether, because I can't live like this forever.

Now, I think about Coop and how much of a freak I must seem like after last night's events. Perhaps I can make it up to him later and come up with some explanation.

_"Still thinking about that pansy? What's so special about him when you've got me for company?" _He inquires. _"You think so highly of him. Just forget it. Chances are once you sleep with him, he'll dump your sorry ass. Obviously, I'm here to stay." _Oh, I can just see the smirk on his face right about now and I'm yelling at him in my head. Unable to think of a good insult, I merely tell him to shut up.

Instead of knocking, Cassie barges in and shuts the door behind her, plopping herself onto the bed and staring me right in the eyes. "What happened." There is no bullshit with Cassie. When she wants to know something, there is no beating around the bush with her. I have to come straight out with it.

"Nothing. Krueger just gave me a little trouble last night." I inform her. _"Yes, take the easy way out and blame it on me."_

"Claire, there is no way you can keep this up. Your grades are starting to slip and Dad's gonna notice when the next report cards are coming out. There have been like, a million messages saying you've been falling asleep in class. I've been deleting them, Claire because I love you and you saved my life. I can't cover you forever. There's got to be some way to kill him off." Cassie, being the drama queen she is, is doing a whisper-yell so the message gets across without Dad hearing.

"I know! I'm trying to figure it out, but it's harder than you think. It's not like he enjoys being trapped in there, anyway." Research has failed me, and I feel like I should give up. If I did that, Krueger might kill me, or at least taunt me until I die of natural causes and take him with me, what with our souls being connected and all. "Last night he went crazy, and the only reason I'm still here is because I kicked Hayley in my sleep and she woke me up."

Both of us jump when we hear Dad knock on the door. "You girls in there?" We tell him we are getting ready to go, and it's good enough for him.

"Look, Claire, I'm worried and I want him out of your head as soon as humanly possible." Cassie says as if Krueger and I don't want the exact same thing.

--

After the day passes, I get ready for bed in my usual manner: brushing my teeth, slipping on pajamas (whilst ignoring the comments I am, unfortunately, very used to by now) and lacing up my combat boots. Carefully, I slip a butcher knife in between the laces for easy access when I enter the dream world, and make sure to have a wooden pole and my trusty softball bat in my arms.

_Traumatic events can be constantly experienced as if they were happening in the present._

When I first enter the dream world, I am confused as to why I have not entered in the usual room, which is the boiler room. Instead, I am in my bedroom, and Krueger is at the foot of the bed, looking smug. I bolt upright and grip my softball bat for dear life. This can't be good. Besides that, what are we doing in my house? Obviously, I don't take this as a good sign. "What are you planning?" I jump out of bed and he smirks.

"Don't worry. I was being irrational last night. I realized being trapped in your head doesn't completely limit me. While you were dawdling with your research, I found a way to kill anyone close to you." His claws are tapping my small white dresser, and instead of thinking of who he could kill in the household, I selfishly wonder if he's planning on digging through my drawers to find blackmail.

Before I can react, he turns and walks towards the door, I rush to the opening and my eyes widen in horror when he enters Cassie's room. "No!" I scream and tackle him from behind, but he easily throws me off. Various chains and the like reach up from the ground and steal my weapons away, leaving only my nails and teeth to attack with. Living in my brain, I thought his powers were diminishing, not realizing that I was feeding him enough fear. I still have my boots, which is just enough for me, and we are wrestling outside the door. Soon enough, I feel my own kicks along with his blows and we both become exhausted quickly. Now, he is carelessly slashing, and holding his claw away is becoming quite the task.

Suddenly, using his dream powers to his advantage, I am wrapped up again, and he puts his hat back on his head, which had gotten lost in the wrestling match. "Stay here, bitch." I look over at the butcher knife as he goes into Cassie's room. Just barely, I am able to reach it and butcher whatever had wrapped itself around me.

I see him standing right over my sister. He hooks his claws over the blankets and carefully pulls them over her. So deep in sleep, Cassie doesn't even notice as he pulls the comforter and sheets over her feet.

"Don't!" I shout, ramming myself right behind his knees and causing him to lose balance before he can get to her. Unfortunately, I am so drained of energy, he easily pushes me to the side. Here in the dream world, he heals much faster than I do and is up and standing over her. "Don't hurt Cassie!" Now, I am gripping his leg and his claws are flexed, ready to slice. "I'll do anything!" This phrase makes him stop in his tracks, and I let go and back up against the wall, realizing what I've just said. At least his attention is diverted from Cassie. He kneels and meets me at eye level. The claws are under my chin.

"Anything?" I nod, and he moves closer. He now realizes the offer. "You should _never_ tell someone like me you'll do anything. Too late to go back." Now, we are in the boiler room. He paces back and forth, tapping his claws to his chin.

"What's the worst you can do?" I inquire, gaining back a bit of bravery and managing to pull myself to my feet. He head turns quickly, and it startles me a little. I barely have time to react before he is in front of me, but I can't do much about it. If I struggle, there's a chance Cassie could be killed. His left hand is on my face and he leans in uncomfortably close.

_Many traumatic memories are relived rather than simply remembered._

"Let me show you." Images flood my head and I see deaths I could never imagine, nor would I wish on someone. Small children are killed off one by one. A sleeping teen innocently listening to his headphones is sucked into the bed and all that's left of him is blood, a girl is violently slashed in the stomach before being dragged around like a ragdoll, one is tricked and the claws twist and turn painfully in her stomach. A petite student trapped at her desk literally has the life sucked out of her, one is stuffed with food and the last one receives painful cuts on her chest before the claw slides between her legs. "You naive little bitch. You have no idea what you've just done to yourself. But don't worry. I won't kill you. No, there are things _much _worse than that." He walks away examining other knives and leaving everything to my imagination.

"You know, as soon as I escape, that bitch sister of yours is first." By the tone of his voice, I can tell he's trying to get a good response. If I stay calm and block everything out, I can at least make it out of here with some dignity left. He looks over, but I try to keep my face expressionless. Now, he is over at the wheel, sharpening his claw. "Then your pretty little friend Hayley, and that Cooper kid. You know. . ." he holds the claws up and they look intimidating enough to match up with something like a machete. "You came _so _close to losing your virginity. Then you turn around and offer me something in return for sparing your sister." Pretending that I have no idea what he's implying, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. By listening closely, I can hear his footsteps and how far away they are. "No kicking? No screaming? C'mon, I like my victims to be a little more fun than that." The claws run down my arm just enough to make the skin tingle, but he is not pressing hard enough to cause a cut. "Show me you can put up a good fight, Claire."

It is then I realize there's no way I can go through with it, and I have to wake myself up before he can carry out his plan. I'll show him I can put up a fight.

**TBC...**


	3. Coop's Apology

**Parasite**

**Chapter Three:  
Coop's Apology**

_Optical Illusion-- n. A visually perceived image that is deceptive or misleading._

Without warning, I push Krueger to the side and take off, but his right arm (ouch!-- the one with the claws) grabs one of my wrists and pulls me back before slamming me into the ground. The wind is knocked out of me and to make matters worse, one of his knees is now using my stomach as a resting place. "That's more like it." he says. Fortunately, Krueger is winded as well, and I deliver a swift kick to the leg that isn't on me. Even though the weapons were left at the house, I am still wearing my combat boots. I flinch, feeling the power of my own kick, and run (or limp) away.

He doesn't even have to run. I bump into him, immediately pushing my arms out and turning the other way. I stop in my track when I hear something behind me. "Claire, why are you running, sweetheart?"

Slowly, I turn my head and see a tall, thin woman standing in front of me. I cock my head and squint, wondering if it is really her.

_Hypnogogic hallucinations_**- **_Hallucinations that occur at the onset of sleep._

It is a taller, older me with the same chocolate brown eyes and wheat-colored hair past the shoulders with a few freckles on the nose. She is wearing a sleeveless sea foam green top and dark jeans. The same outfit she wore when. . . "Mom?" All I want to do at the moment is run to hug her, but I know it is Krueger playing one of his mind tricks and I snap out of it. "That's not funny." Tears start pouring out. "Stop that!" I yell at him. "How can you be so heartless?" I cry.

Suddenly, her eyes are blue and she has the glove on. "Heartless. . ." Freddy/Mom says, pointing the index claw, "Is a huge understatement, Claire."

I look over at one of the pipes next to me. They look painful enough. "You're a monster." I say simply, pressing my arm to the pipe. At the moment, I have no energy to scream. All I do is shut my eyes tightly. I hear Krueger grunting and he goes to clutch his arm. I sit up in my bed again, this time in the awake world. The burn on my forearm is at least second degree and I'll have to wear long sleeves for quite a while and see a doctor behind my father's back.

Wiping my eyes, I decide to go see Cassie. My bat, pole, and knife are outside the door and I pick them up to avoid any suspicion. I notice the door is already open and the covers are really only covering the toes. Still, she looks peaceful and her hair, which is lighter thanks to natural blondish highlights is sprawled all over the pillow. I pulls the covers over her again, thankful Krueger wasn't able to get to her.

_"We had a deal." _He sneers at me inside my head. No matter. If I am not asleep, he cannot manipulate the dream.

It is only around three when I wake up, so I spend the rest of the night reading and watching TV. Except that I wasn't really reading or watching TV, I was telling Krueger what a monster he was and how I was never going to fall asleep long enough for him to get to me again. Take that, you psycho bastard.

"_Everyone has to sleep sometime. You're no different."_ He states. Gee, how clever he must feel right now. If I sleep for thirty minutes at a time, there's no way for me to drift into REM sleep, so there.

Any time I spend awake will not go in vain. I will research every waking moment until I find a way to kill Krueger and sleep peacefully again.

--

Ever since Mom. . . well, died we stopped going to church. Sundays are spent eating a large breakfast, and Dad leaving to put in extra hours at work. The more he's paid, the more stuff we get, so I don't complain. He's also built up a lot of vacation time so we have more fun during summer time.

Spring break is coming soon and I hope he has nothing planned, because every second of my life (during that time, anyway) will be spent on nothing but computer and library time. Krueger is happier than I would expect him to be. I guess he feels like lurking around in the depths of hell is better than spending every waking moment in my mind. Already he's used every bad memory and insecurity he could think of, and I'm only getting better at ignoring him.

Once or twice I've blocked him out altogether, so I think I'm making incredible progress. Go Claire. Still, when I'm trying to take a test at school, he's there armed with him inappropriate comments, throwing my concentration.

So I thought to myself around seven this morning: "Fuck it." and went to go shower because I smelled like a stray dog that had jumped in a filthy pond. After he realized I truly wasn't letting him get to me, Krueger's comments stopped. I still avoided looking in the mirror and washed my body in record time, but he was still grumbling because I was determined to stop feeding him any kind of energy.

After Dad leaves, I inform Cassie that I would be at the local library, deciding it would be best not to tell her about any of last night's events. However, before I go to the library, I stop at the pharmacy to get my burn checked out and to see if there are any creams for it.

"_I've got one, too, you know." _Krueger tells me as if I don't already know this. _"We still have a deal. You were supposed to give me something in return for sparing your sister." _To piss him off even more, I completely disregard everything he's saying and focus on the creams. I finally find a good one for a cheap price and bring it to the counter. _"Don't think you can ignore me forever, bitch. Next time you fall asleep, you'll regret ever waking yourself up the first time. Hell, you'll regret trapping me in your head."_

Yeah, yeah, shut up. The girl behind the counter gives me a funny look and searches for burns, but rings it up anyway. Afterwards, I head straight to the library.

People pass by the table, rasing their eyebrows, and I hear whispers among the adult behind the counter. I get the feeling someone will say something soon. I probably have every single book on dreams beside me and I'm flipping through each one to find useful information. Freddy says they are all useless, but I'm desperate to learn anything. So far, the only way to make him die is to kill myself, and the whole point was to find a different way to kill him in there.

The staring and whispering makes me uncomfortable, so I go into one of the back rooms used for studying, carrying about fourteen books back there with me. The computers are back there, too, and if a fifteen year old boy were bored enough to stumble upon this library, he would probably find hours of privacy to look at naughty things on the internet. The librarians almost never come back here to check.

I hold up a thick book and examine the cover. "The Dream Dictionary. . ." I say aloud. _"What good is that book gonna do?" _Freddy inquires. "Hey, every little thing helps." I remind him. Soon, last night's lack of sleep catches up, but I catch myself dozing off when my arm slides on the desk. I immediately jolt awake and look back at the book I was reading. Until I feel a hand on my shoulder and jump up, looking behind me.

_Physical and emotional exhaustion can induce hallucinations by blurring the line between sleep and wakefulness._

"Claire?" It's Cooper. Same amazing, gorgeous guy I totally adore yet totally freaked out at the party by screaming at him. Well, not at him, at Freddy of course for his crude remarks about our little romp in the bedroom (which, thanks to Freddy again, never did get as far as we probably would have taken it). I wonder what he's doing at the library.

"Oh." I say awkwardly. "Hey, Coop."

Before _I _start apologizing profusely, I realize Coop has beaten me to it. "Look, Claire I'm sorry about Friday night. I really thought you liked me and I didn't mean to freak you out. It's just. . . you were really into one minute and the next I thought you were gonna call the cops on me."

"No, no, it wasn't like that at all!" I try to explain. "No, you see. . ." I'm already at a loss for words. What am I supposed to tell him? "Oh, Coop, some freak is living in my head and he was making disgusting comments about how we were about to do it."? I don't think so. Instead, I just go for: "Let's talk over some lunch."

Coop accepts and offers me his arm. Gladly, I take it and we walk out the door. Or, we were until Coop looked back at all of my dream books. "Aren't you gonna do something about those?"

"Nah." I shake my head. "I'll come back for 'em later." It's not a lie, I really am planning to come back and read them. Later. Cooper Donovan just accepted a date, despite the whole 'he thinks he tried to rape me because I was screaming'.

The only thing that's bothering me (that really shouldn't) is that Krueger is totally silent. Really, I don't hear a peep out of him. This time, however, I take it as a good sign.

_ A traumatized individual is capable of manipulating an image in front of them to see what they would prefer to see, rather than reality._

He asks me where my car is, to which I sheepishly reply I walk. (Seriously, nobody ever walks anywhere, anymore! And the weather is so nice, too.) So he offer to give me a lift.

We drive to a nice little Italian restaurant (the only kind of food we agree on) and order our food. "So. . ." Coop leans in after the waitress has taken our order. "Why _did_ you start screaming?"

I blush and take a sip of my water. "You're gonna think I'm a total freak." When he cocks his head and raises an eyebrow (so cute!) I realize he already thought I was being a total freak two night ago. "Alright, alright." I put my hands up in mock surrender. "I was hearing voices." I tweak the story just a bit. "I was trying to tell them to shut up. I know it seems really weird, but I'm not a schizoid or anything. Honestly, I wasn't shouting at you." Krueger has not said a word.

"Well. . ." a mischievous glint appears in his eye. "Do you think it'll ever happen again?"

I hear nothing in my head and smirk back at him. "No, I get the feeling it was just a one-time thing."

"That's good, Claire. Because my parents are still out of town." There was no doubt in my mind about just what he was hinting at. . . not that I objected to it. Neither did Krueger.

--

"House sure is clean." I notice, look around. Just forty-eight hours ago, food and dishes were everywhere. He's cleaned up nicely, and it almost looks like the house is sparkling.

"Brian helped me. Sort of. He picked out music and watched while I cleaned the house up." Coop tells me, handing me a glass of water. "Well, I got it picked up."

I nod. "That's good."

He sits next to me and, without hesitation, takes my wrist. "Claire, you know I really do like you and I'm pretty sure you like me. Hayley said you talk about me a lot."

It's like a dream come true, but damn you, Hayley. I can get a boyfriend on my own, you know. He continues. "I was really scared when you were yelling the other night. Like you were drunk and didn't realize what was happening."

"Coop, I was drinking fruit punch." I remind him. "I was totally sober." Could've fooled him, obviously.

"Sorry. You know what—"

"Just kiss me." I interrupt, not caring how cliche the line sounds.

"Huh?" he is taken aback, but looks a little eager at the same time.

"Stop apologizing and kiss me. I won't scream at you, I promise." I bat my eyelashes like the women do in old romance movies, hoping to make him swoon. I don't know if I did or not, but we're kissing again. God, he's got such soft lips.

For quite a while, I am so into the kiss, I don't even open my eyes. Still, there is a nagging feeling as I listen carefully for Krueger. It's starting to scare me, actually. My eyes pop open and I am pinned down on the couch. However, it is not Cooper pinning me down.

"Remember, Claire. We had a deal." This can't be happening. I don't recall actually falling asleep in the library! Just dozing off for two seconds before my face slid off my hand and I woke up.

"How. . .?" I manage to squeak out.

"You fell asleep reading one of your dream books. Ironic, huh? Don't worry. I figured this is the best way for you to repay me. Think about it: You feel what I feel and I feel what you feel. That's twice the pleasure for the both of us!" He laughs.

On the small couch, I am trapped and with no weapons to fend him off (again). Still, I throw a fit to get him off me. "No! I don't want to!"

"You really think I give a damn what you want?" he growls.

Suddenly, I feel a buzzing in my pocket and a loud ringing in my ears. Even Freddy is caught off guard. My cell phone is ringing! But is it enough to wake me up. . .?

I sure hope so. . .

**TBC...**


	4. Little Blue Miracle

**Parasite**

**Chapter Four:  
A Little Blue Miracle**

**Another story in progress. This chapter will not have any information on a random subject this time.**

My eyes pop open and I feel a tingling sensation on my leg. I take my cell phone out of my pocket and look at the caller ID. Now I sigh with relief.

Hayley has saved my life twice and doesn't even know it.

"Hello?" my voice is shaky, and I pray Hayley doesn't notice. Well, I'll never know, because she doesn't let on if she does.

"Claire? Hey your sister said you had your phone with you. Did you still want to go for pizza?"

My shaky nerves remind me that it is best to stay here and research before falling asleep again. However, my rumbling stomach tells me it's time for a break. Why not? I'll be back right after I get some brain food. Well, pizza isn't really brain food, but I haven't eaten today so any little bit of food counts.

"Sure, Hayley. Meet me at the food court." I tell her.

"_That was almost too easy. You can't even go a few hours without sleep, much less a few days. At this rate, not even Hypnocil will help you." _he laughs. When I hang up on Hayley, I ask him what that is. The laughter suddenly stops. _"It's nothing."_

Nothing, huh? I write it down on my hand with some pens in a nearby cup. I give it three different spellings and decide I'll look it up later. Krueger knows he has already given me a little bit of help and he's not very happy about it. I just know that whatever "Hypnocil' is, it's going to help me out.

--

When I see Hayley at the food court, I suddenly become self-conscious. Whereas her short, dark hair is swept perfectly to the side and her ensemble looks perfect, I have curly-cues sticking out from my ponytail and my cargo shorts are wrinkled. I shove my hair behind my ears and smooth out my outfit to match up next to her. I don't really know how well it's working out.

"Your hair's super clean today." she points out. Great. All those days of not showering have caught up and I wonder if I ever looked (or smelled) like a hobo. Still, a compliment is a compliment and I'll take what I can get. "You should've kept it down today." I pull the hair tie out, but there's probably a huge crease in the back of my head. "Much better." Hayley says., smoothing it down a bit. "Where were you?"

Do I sound like a total loser by pointing out I was at the library on a Sunday? Oh well. "The library. Doing research for history class."

"Ooh. . . I need to study for that test, too. Later, though." Hayley's such a procrastinator, I sometimes wonder how she manages to keep her 'B' average. Most nights she's on the phone gossiping with me or telling Brian how cute he is. (I actually have no clue what they talk about, and I'm sure I don't really want to no. I can just see them now: "You hang up first." "No, _you _hang up first. Ugh.)

We get back to the table when each of us has a huge slab of cheese pizza. Hayley carefully dabs at the grease, though I never understood why. It's my favorite part. I dig in without hesitation.

"Coop called me yesterday after I dropped you off." I gulp down my huge bite of pizza, preparing myself for the next sentence. "He's really worried about you. He even asked if you'd call the cops or something."

I refuse to look her in the eye. In the background, I hear Freddy chuckling softly in the background, pleased with the trauma he's caused me. I fear I'll never be able to look Cooper in the eye again. He knows this.

"I told him to call you and try to fix things, and that I had nothing to do with it, but he's afraid. He hasn't been able to concentrate on anything. Claire, he doesn't want you to think he was trying to take advantage of you or anything."

Look what you've done, I tell Freddy. _"You're the one who started shouting."_ Every time I see Coop in my head, my breathing becomes shallow when I think about the dream I had just an hour ago. I'll never be able to sit on his couch again without reliving that memory, much less kiss him. Gross. Kissing him in the dream meant that I was actually kissing. . .

"Claire, I need to know what happened between the two of you. I can help you Claire, if you just tell me what went down. Please tell me what happened." Finally I look her in the eye. What kind of story can I use to deter her from the truth? Think on your feet, Claire.

There's really nothing I can think of that would convince her. Telling her about 'voices' in my head would probably convince her I need to be shipped off to the looney bin, and any other explanation makes it look like Coop was trying to rape me, which was not the case. Perhaps I can tell her I had a bad feeling, like we had no protection and I just _knew _I would get pregnant and didn't want to risk it. However, that probably wouldn't justify my screaming. Then again, did she hear me screaming at Freddy? If not, Coop probably told Brian who told her.

Nothing works. Absolutely nothing.

"I just panicked, Hayley. I couldn't go through with it, you know? I didn't mean to yell at him, I just got a little paranoid. Like, what if someone had walked in or I got pregnant? Just little things like that got to me."

"_Of course." _Freddy mocks my false reason. I can tell he feels very proud of himself. I, on the other hand feel miserable because I allowed him to get to me. If only I had blocked him out, if only I had gone ahead with it, if only I hadn't trapped him in my brain. There are too many 'if only's that plague my head. They shouldn't matter anymore, but Krueger's milking it for all it's worth. I can't stand it. _"Serves you right."_

"I don't believe you." Hayley says simply. Certainly, Hayley isn't a gullible person, but I never imagined her to come right out and confront me about my story. "I want to know everything. Tell me the truth, Claire."

That's it. She's cornered me like a hound would a rabbit. There's no way around it and I actually feel relieved that she wants to know. Freddy is excited, thinking giving her knowledge would make her vulnerable at this point. I know better. "I will tell you." I whisper. "But not now. We'll drive back to your apartment."

She accepts this, and we finish our pizza in awkward silence before making our way out.

--

"Are your parents home?" I ask when we arrive.

Hayley shakes her head. "Dad's golfing and Mom's at one of her book club meetings. They'll be out for a while. Why?"

"I couldn't tell you if they were here. It's kind of. . . weird." I look around for hidden cameras, still paranoid. Nobody else should be hearing about this. In fact, I shouldn't even be telling Hayley. It's too dangerous, and I don't know how limited he is. At home, he was still able to attack Cassie, but I don't know if it was because of her knowledge of him."

"Like Twilight Zone weird?" Hayley inquires, pouring me a glass of water and preparing for my story. At this rate, I expect her to make popcorn.

"No, a little weirder. And a little scarier." I whisper under my breath. When we are sitting on the couch, I attempt to explain slowly. "Have you ever had a nightmare while you lived in Springwood? I mean a really bad nightmare. One that made you want to stay up the rest of the night?"

"_Oh, you flatter me." _Krueger says nastily. _"But I've never visited your friend in her dreams. If I had, she'd be sliced apart by now." _I can tell he's itching to kill. He hasn't had a victim in weeks. Not to mention how close he came to killing me and Cassie. This makes the guilt come back, because Hayley has woken me up twice. What kind of best friend was I, putting her in danger after she had just saved me a second time? At least she had unknowingly done it, or I probably wouldn't tell her.

Before Hayley answers the question I go ahead with the story. "Never mind that." I pause, thinking back to the very beginning. My research has finally come in handy. "Ever heard of the Springwood Slasher? He used to kill little kids?"

"Oh, and then the parents burned him. Yeah, Dylan Sanders told me about him before he moved away." she takes a sip of water. I know perfectly well Dylan was shipped off to Westin Hills, the town's local looney bin. I'm afraid Hayley might tell them to put me there.

"Well. . . I know this sounds freaky, but–" I attempt—in vain—to come up with a sensible explanation for her. I decide that she's seen enough Twilight Zone episodes to the point where nothing should surprise her and dive right into the story, without concerning myself with how ridiculous I might sound. "He came back and haunted people in their dreams. Particularly teenagers. Hayley, this guy would just pick them off one by one in their sleep. Then he tried to kill Cassie, so I trapped him in my–stay with me, Hayley–imagination if you will. Now, he lurks around in my head and I hear him. When Cooper and I were about to. . . you know. . . he kind of irritated me."

Hayley stares at me, wide-eyed, and not blinking. Hell, she's hardly moving a muscle. She's that astonished. Finally, after several moments, she puts the glass down and begins to paraphrase. "So, let me get this straight. You have this freak living inside. . . of your head?" I nod. She continues. "And it's the same guy who lived over three decades ago? Claire, I just can't believe you managed to make a straight face."

"I'm not lying!" I defend. "That's how I'm able to keep my face straight! You have to believe me, Hayley! This isn't something I would just make up. You have to trust me."

Now Hayley is very astonished, almost believing my story. I'm not sure how long I can hold her attention, though. "I was at the library researching dreams. Well, I'm actually trying to find out how to get rid of him." Alright, I'm finished. I just hope Hayley doesn't ship me off to Westin Hills.

"Claire, you know I want to believe you." She's shaking her head, and I know the next sentence is going to start off with _but_. . . "But you know how far-fetched that sounds, right? I mean, a serial killer suddenly starts killing off kids in their dreams, and now he's in your _head_?"

When she puts it like that, I'm sure I do sound like a total lunatic. Still, I would like her to believe me, or at least play along. That's not asking too much, is it?

"Still, you're my friend, and I _did _say I would help you if you told me what was going on." Great. My amazing best friend is starting to play along like I'd hoped. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Actually. . ." I think of the perfect task for Hayley before she can object to it. "I need you to research something called 'Hypnocil' for me." I look at the three different spellings on my hand and show her. "Find out what it is, and when you do, I need some as fast as humanly possible."

"My mom keeps her laptop on her dresser. I can look it up right now." How I managed to find a buddy like Hayley, I'll never know. She gets up and goes to her parents room to find it. After a couple minutes, she come out, carrying it in her arms like a child. "My mom loves this thing, so we have to be careful."

The first time we spell it with an 's'. When nothing comes up on the search engine, I tell her to try it with a 'c' and a few web pages pop up. Hayley clicks the first one, and we are taken to a site protesting the medicine. I find that strange, especially since I need it myself. Well, everything has a catch, and I don't even know what Hypnocil does, yet.

"Says here, they only prescribe it at a few asylums. Westin Hills uses up most of the supply." Hayley scrolls down a bit. "In fact, they give many of the patients so much, they go into comas. That sounds scary. Can you imagine being in a place like Westin Hills? Much less being force fed a pill that keeps you in a coma."

"Do they say what it does?" At least I now know that Westin Hills has a mass supply of it. How else could they possibly feed a majority of patients so many of them?

"Apparently it suppresses dreams." Hayley looks at me and rolls her eyes. "No way. There's no way that guy can be real."

Perfect. _"You really think that stuff can save you?" _I hear Krueger mock again in the background. At this point, I'm desperate enough to try anything.

"Don't you see, Hayley? _This _proves that he's real! Why else would they have a pill that needs to suppress dreams? That's where Dylan is! Hayley, he didn't move away, they shipped him off because he told you about Freddy Krueger!"

Hayley throws her hands up in mock surrender. "There's no way." she keeps chanting over and over. No matter what, she's just not buying it. As much as I'd like to give her genuine proof, it might be the last time she ever sees Krueger. That's something I'd rather not risk.

"I need you to drive me to Westin Hills. It's only a five minute drive, max." I plead. Hayley stares at me like I'm insane (which I probably am, at this point).

"No. No, no, no, NO!" Hayley's head and hands shake frantically back and forth to show her disapproval. "I'm not driving you there just so we can steal medicine. That would make us felons! Oh my God, I would be grounded for life! Not to mention all those people that _need _the Hypnocil, or whatever it's called! Claire, that's just—"

"Hayley!" I cut her off. "I need that Hypnocil more than they do! It's impossible for them to dream about him now, because he's in _my _head causing _me _nightmares." I realize how selfish I sound, but it's true. Freddy chuckles in the background at all the grief he's caused. "If you don't take me, I'll do it myself!"

She sighs in defeat. Instead of telling me she'll drive me, she deletes the history on the laptop and closes it. After putting it where it belongs, she grabs the car keys, muttering quietly under her breath. She motions for me to follow her. I try to hide how happy I am she's helping. I actually don't know if I would've done it on my own. Still, Hayley is extremely reluctant.

No matter, if we can get our hands on just a little Hypnocil, I can sleep peacefully and still have enough energy for research and school. . .which reminds me. . .

We have a history test tomorrow that I did not study for. . .


	5. New Problems

**Parasite:  
**

**Chapter Five  
New Problems**

**I'm BAAAAAACK! I love me some Post Traumatic Syndrome.**

During the time we sneaked over to the asylum, three things happened:

Hayley got a wake-up call. We saw Dylan in a coma, no doubt a consequence of too much Hypnocil.

I got myself a good, solid supply of Hypnocil, which is now stored away under my mattress and in my dresser. The two places Dad would never look.

I found out how horrible I looked in a nurse outfit. Note to self: Skip medical school. We had to disguise ourselves rather poorly, but not many people seemed to notice. Everyone there was restless, with raccoon eyes and blank, tired stares. I kind of look like that. . . all the time. Insomnia package; comes complete with bloodshot eyes, surprise acne (_and w_eight gain!), and huge raccoon rings on your face. I recommend it for nobody.

However, I still had to cram for my history test, which I did. After taking a Hypnocil pill, I actually slept peacefully. Not a single nightmare was there to interrupt my REM sleep. This was added onto the fact that the people in the psychiatric ward wouldn't have to worry about being overdosed and forced into never-ending comas. The supply I had would last me at least a year, and no _way _was I planning to keep Krueger around that long.

So, now I was sitting in class, about to take my test. I'd been doing good so far, but my one weakness that wasn't Freddy came along:

Short answer questions. Multiple choice? No problem. True and false? I can ace that. Hell, I'm even OK when it comes to fill-in-the-blank. But. . . no. We get short answer questions. In fact, Miss Jacobs is the only teacher that gives short answer questions. I mean, Jesus, I've already got a psycho in my head. Why torture me further?

_Why was America scared of the publication of "The Jungle?" God, I know this one. _I think hard to myself, hoping the answer will pop out of nowhere. Maybe the little cells in the back of my head will start buzzing and I will miraculously know the answer.

_"God, you're stupid." _Freddy insults. _"You studied this shit last night. The public was scared because "The Jungle" told them was was being put into their meat." _I can see him rolling his eyes furiously, but he's just helped me. It's the first time I've cheated on a test since third grade (I was caught, and the TV was taken out of my room for weeks. . .) But who's gonna know? Hell, who would believe me at this point?

"Hey, Miss Jacobs, did you know I've got the Springwood Slasher living inside my head giving me the answers to tests?" Oh, yeah. That'd go over real well. Knowing Miss Jacobs, she'd look up from her paperwork and say, "That's nice, Clair." before going back to work.

Still, I can't survive off of stolen Hypnocil forever. There's got to be a way to kill him off without taking me with him. Well, I can at least get through four more days of school before Spring Break. Being a senior, I _should _probably be headed out to Florida or Mexico, but I've got to stay here with Hayley and Cassie to figure out what we've got to do to get rid of Freddy. Besides, Florida and Mexico wouldn't be any fun with Freddy in the back of my head. If he sensed even a twinge of enjoyment, he'd snatch it away in a heartbeat.

When History ended, I found Hayley at my locker, crying, despite the fact that _I'm _the one the Springwood Slasher in my head. But I feel like I should be a good friend and comfort her in her time of need. After all, she helped me steal Hypnocil, and kept me company when I was going insane. She didn't look hysterical, she just had tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Hayley sighs and wipes her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie. "Brian dumped me." That explains it. She and Brian break up twice a week on average, and three times on a good week. More than likely, she's gotten over the shock. "He and his family are going to California this weekend, and I refused his invitation." Ohh. . . this doesn't make me feel too awesome about myself. I'm keeping her from a California vacation with her boyfriend. I'd hate me, too.

"He dumped you over that?"

"Well, he's also mad because I keep having to explain to him about the party that night. He said Coop is so paranoid you'll call the police. He wanted to know what was up with you, but I told him he wouldn't understand."

False alarm. They'll be back together by Wednesday. Still, to make matters worse, I see Cooper down the hall, and he's making eye contact. There's no way I can face him today. Or any other day of the week. The dream of being pinned down on his couch by Freddy is still fresh in my head. It's _not _his fault, but whenever he's around, Freddy becomes more riled up than usual. He's always got something to say about Coop, and it's like my kryptonite. Perhaps when Freddy is gone things will go back to normal, but for now, every time I talk to him, it only makes matters worse. "Let's go somewhere else." I grip her arm and drag her to the girls' bathroom.

I sigh quietly, trying to think of how he must feel at the moment. Cooper is cool, nice, smart, funny, and everything in between. He is _perfect_. And yet, I can't even look at him anymore. Friday was bad, and Sunday was the _worst_.

No comments from Krueger, but I do hear maniacal chuckles in the back of my head. "I can't talk to Cooper until I deal with my. . . uh, _situation_." I whisper quietly, referring to Krueger. I'm sure he feels very proud of himself right now.

"You at least need to tell him that you're not going to call the police!" Hayley insists. "Brian said it's still all he can talk about. At least tell him you're not gonna go around saying he raped you!" she's got a point, but I'm still afraid of what might happen.

"Hayley. . . what if I start yelling again?" I think of Cooper's face when I close my eyes. The image doesn't last long, because it fades into a burnt, horrible face that makes me snap out of my trance. I suddenly hate Coop's piercing blue eyes, because they are nearly identical to Krueger's. "No, it's alright." I say solemnly. "I'll just explain things to him when I find a way to kill Freddy."

This tension between us, I totally hate it. I can tell Hayley certainly doesn't approve. If she were in this situation, I'm sure she'd probably gather up the courage to speak to him. But it's me, and I've got to deal with it on my own. Her stare is more like a subtle glare, and her green eyes look right through me. It doesn't feel like she's looking at _me_. Maybe she's not?

"_She's intense. She reminds me of Katherine." _He distracts me from Hayley's stare/glare, if only for a moment.

"Who's Katherine?" I say aloud, forgetting that Hayley's standing right there. Now, she's more confused than ever, and I've just gotten a bit of interesting information thrown at me.

_"That's none of your business." he sneered. _From what I can gather, though, I can at least tell that Katherine was an important woman in his life. Maybe exploiting this could be my payback, so I jump at the chance.

_"Oh, was she someone _special _to you?" _I mock in my head, ignoring Hayley's now baffled stare. _"Sibling? Or perhaps she was your lover? I didn't think someone like you could ever. . ."_

_"She was my daughter, bitch. And if you're not smart enough to shut up about her, I will make you regret falling asleep tonight, Hypnocil or not." _This is the scariest tone I've ever heard him use. Even more frightening then when he had me trapped in the boiler room or pinned on Cooper's couch. I don't even notice Hayley yelling for me, and I can't respond. But even with my little blue miracle, his threats are unbearable. Our souls are connected, but I have no doubt he's certainly crazy enough to kill himself trying to live up to the name of "Springwood Slasher." Some of the threats have nothing to do with physical torture, and they're the ones that scare me most.

Worst of all is that I start to see the images in my head. They are clear as a bell, and with each new threat, a new terrifying event starts to take place. "You've got to be fucking _kidding _me!" I grip my hair so hard, the strands are almost pulled out of the follicles. I don't think he realizes it, because he's too busy with his threats, but his voice is getting louder, and I can see every threat being played out clearly in my mind. "No!" This can only be done in the dream world! This is _not _supposed to be possible in the awake world! Not including snide comments, he's supposed to be harmless in the awake world, yet it's almost as real as the dreams.

He's beginning to realize what's happening, but once he stops with the threats, the images fade away. I'm on my knees. How I got there, I don't know, but Hayley has the most stunned look on her face, and her skin is almost white. All she's doing is blinking her green eyes at me, and I can't stand it. Hayley always has something to say.

Finally, the silence is broken. "Claire? Are you. . . alright?" She's seconds away from throwing me in the town's local looney bin. I can see it in her eyes. So I get up, grip the sink, and open my mouth to speak.

It results in me rushing to the toilet to barf up whatever I ate for breakfast. Now, Freddy's laughing his ass off, sounding almost as excited as the night I almost lost my virginity to Coop.

_"_Well_, there's an interesting new trick." _The smug tone makes me want to punch his teeth in. I can't go back to class like this.

"Come on, sweetie, let's get you to the nurse." Yes. I've taken my history test, and it's time for me to go home.

Hayley tells the nurse that I have a migraine, which she seems to buy. After I'm allowed in her office to rest, I rush into the bathroom and lock it. Why I think I can run from a psychopath who lives in my head, I don't know. But, damn it all, I was going to try!

"_Oh, I'm not through with you, yet." _He taunts, his voice like a child's at Christmas.

Freddy's Weakpoint: ???

Claire's Weakpoint(s): Cooper, Cassie, and new images of threats made by the serial killer in her brain.

Well, this totally sucks.

**Meh. I wouldn't say Cooper is "perfect." It's just how Claire sees him. It's a style I learned from from the totally awesome Marian Keyes.**


	6. Comatose

**Parasite:  
**

**Chapter Six  
Comatose**

**Sorry if any inaccuracies plague the story. Edit: Ew, grammatical errors. I'm so ashamed of my lack of proofreading. Um... Any beta offers? ;D  
**

After my father picks me up from school, I dodge his questions by taking sanctuary in my room. As concerned as he is, I have to push myself away. God forbid I start yelling and cursing at _him_. That would cause more trouble than I need. . . if that's not the understatement of the year.

Like always, Freddy is causing trouble in my head. I can't even muster up any anger against him. Instead, sadness take over as I attempt to look on the positive side. I did this to keep Cassie safe, and I'd rather bear with this a little longer than watch my little sister struggle in her sleep. Still, there's only so much.

In a calm voice, which is actually far worse than the crazy one because he sounds even more psychotic, Krueger utters various death threats. Every time he comes up with yet another gory visual, I see it in my head.

_"Imagine yourself being slammed up against the cement wall at the end of the boiler room, Claire. Imagine the lovely sounds you'll make when my claws are twisting and turning in your stomach, blood spilling out like a fountain. . ." _There's no laughter, no maniacle chuckling; he's totally serious. He's been locked up inside my head, unable to do his dirty deeds, and he want his revenge. Everything he's showing, he wants it to happen, almost to the point of needing it.

Ironically, I decide to do the one thing that will make me safe right now: sleeping. Without water, I pop a Hypnocil pill and hide the bottle under my pillow before drifting off to sleep. Closing my eyes for that quick minute before sleep is nightmarish enough, but I push through it and finally go to sweet sleep.

When I wake up, Cassie is sitting beside my bed, her brown eyes staring at me sadly. As soon as she realizes I'm awake, she grips my hand and smiles thankfully.

"You slept through dinner. You must have been tired. . . you left your sneakers on. Did you have any nightmares about. . .?" she inquires as I sit up.

I shake my head. "No, but Freddy's starting to get on my nerves. It's alright, though." This certainly doesn't help Cassie, but she doesn't question me further. Or if she did, I didn't notice. Freddy's riled up again.

_"Your sister is such a cute little girl. She would have made such a wonderful victim. How easy it would have been to toy with her and give her false hope just before I sunk my claws into her." _As if his statement wasn't bad enough, Freddy starts to give me the visual effect. I do my best not to worry Cassie by shouting. Obviously, me shouting doesn't accomplish much in my favor.

But listening to Cassie talk and hearing her screams in my head isn't exactly pleasant, either.

"I've been doing research, and I think I found something that might help us," she picks up a large book off the floor and flips to a page she's folded at the corner. "I found a charm that's supposed to ward off dead spirits. According to this paragraph here, if you wear the charm, eventually the negative spirits in your life are supposed to descend to Hell, where they belong."

Now I've grown curious, and Krueger has, too, because he's no longer threatening.

"The 'charm' is peach wood from ancient Chinese folklore. It was originally used for prosperity and longevity, but it was also believed to ward off evil spirits, much like Freddy. So I ordered you a peach necklace a couple days ago with Dad's credit card as a last resort." Cassie looks extremely proud of herself, but I'm doubtful.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Will it hurt to try?"

"No," I think about it for a minute. "I guess it won't. Thanks, Cassie." I give her a hug when she stands. "But you'd better hide the credit card bill before it get here."

"Don't worry. I've been checking the mail religiously. I can be sneaky, too, Claire." she winks before walking out of the room. "You look like you need a little more rest."

That, I do, Cassie. That, I do. After popping another Hypnocil, I lay back on my pillow. Suddenly, despite my earlier nap, I'm even sleepier than before. I can feel my breathing slowing down before I drift back into unconsciousness. Perhaps a second Hypnocil pill wasn't such a great idea. . .

* * *

"Your daughter is just in a coma, Mr. Douglas. Please don't worry, our staff is doing all that they can to find out why." I hear the nurse tell my father and Cassie, who is squeezing my hand in a tight grip. I'm lying in a hospital bed as a result of my impulsive Hypnocil popping. I can't see myself or anything else around my. The only thing I can do is listen as they talk about me.

Oh, and Freddy's around, as well. Of course, I can't see him, and he can't reach me, due to my little blue pill, but I still hear his outbursts. As always, they are still annoying.

On the outside world, however, they are worried about me. Cassie has been crying on my hand, and dad's breathing is incredibly shallow. I hope I wake up soon so that they see the coma was no big deal. There is no reason for them to worry anymore than they should. I certainly don't want my dad to think I've got suicidal tendencies, or Cassie to learn just how much I was overwhelmed by Freddy, who I was supposed to kick out of my head. Way to go, Claire. You've let your father, your sister _and _your best friend suffer. They've called Hayley, whom I 've heard has been frantic since. Actually, it has only been a few hours, but she'll be able to keep up her paranoid energy for the rest of my life, even when I wake up. At least it lets me know that she cares.

_"Look at them, gathered around, bawling over your comatose body. If I were them, I'd be throwing a party." _Freddy is back to his smart ass comments, but I've actually found a way to counter them: come back with a witty retort that shuts him up for a while, or try and make small talk.

_"I'm sure you already have, Freddy." _I say to him.

_"Yes, and you'll join me at any time, won't you, Claire? That Hypnocil won't last forever, you know."_

_"It'll get me through until I wake up from this coma, and I've still got an ample supply at home." _Take that, Freddy.

_"You don't really know if the Hypnocil will last. You may start dreaming before you wake up."_

No, that's not true. If one can last me through an entire night, than two will definitely keep me safe until I wake up from a coma. I manage to convince myself that Fredy is just trying to scare me, that's all. . . even though at times he'll manage to do a good job of it.

_"Assuming that one will keep you safe for the night, than if you sleep for more than two days, we'll have to see each other again, won't we? And you're not even in your usual night gown. All you've got is a pathetic hospital gown, and nothing else. The next time we meet, and I promise it will happen, you will be a defenseless little pig against the big bad wolf." _

Well, then, if that happens. . .

No. Freddy is playing his mind games. There's no doubt that the two pills will last me. If it was enough to put me into a coma, it's powerful stuff that won't just fade away on the third day. It. Is. Impossible. But even if it does happen, I'll fight him off with everything I've got. In the red corner, we've got Freddy Krueger with sharp metal claws and an everlasting dominant blood lust. In the blue corner, we've got Claire Douglas in a hospital gown and no precise weapon to speak of.

But the fight won't happen.


End file.
